


A Murdered Child

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 00:58:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13846713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: A raped and murdered child has been found





	A Murdered Child

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo prompt 'unhappy ending'

A Murdered Child

by Bluewolf

The young girl was found by a horrified mother alerted by the scream from her four-year-old son who had been happily playing in a big clump of bushes in the park.

Anthea Grainger crawled her way through the bushes her son had been using as a 'jungle trek' (imitating something he had seen on TV the previous evening) and found him staring at a girl of about eight who was lying there, clothes in disarray and a red slash cutting wide across her throat. Anthea could see the trail of blood that showed where the girl had been pulled into the bushes.

She took a deep breath and pulled young Noah away, back towards where their picnic box lay.

Until that moment she had never felt the need for a mobile phone, though she had thought occasionally that if they were smaller having one could be useful. As it was, they were big and clumsy enough to take up far too much space in her purse.

Safely outside the large clump of bushes, Anthea looked around. They weren't too far from the park gates, and... yes! There was a pay phone just a few yards from the gate.

Gathering up their things in one hand, she gripped Noah's hand firmly in the other, and headed for the phone.

***

When a police car arrived - thankfully, just two or three minutes after she called 911 - Anthea was glad to see that one of the cops in it was female. She left Noah with Officer Leeson and took Officer Reisling over to the clump of bushes.

"How did you find the body if it's hidden in here?" he asked.

She began to crawl in. "It was Noah who actually found it. He was playing among the bushes, and... oh God! I'm not sorry someone found her, but a four-year-old? He'll surely have nightmares about it..."

"We can recommend a therapist who deals with young children if you want. Ah, I see the body. I imagine you don't want to look at it again?"

"I'd rather not."

"I don't blame you. You go back to your son, Mrs. Grainger, and when an ambulance arrives, just tell the crew to come in here. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait with my partner until someone from Homicide arrives. I know, you won't be able to tell them much, but they will need to speak to you."

***

But when Dan Wolf's examination revealed that the girl had been raped as well as murdered, the case was immediately transferred to Major Crime.

Jim studied the report from Homicide, and sighed. It was clear that Mrs. Grainger was just the person unfortunate enough to find the body - or her son had, and she was going to have to deal with any problems that arose from that.

Homicide didn't have a name for the victim. Jim sighed again, and picked up the phone and called Missing Persons.

"Missing Persons."

He knew the voice. "Hello, Jenna. Jim Ellison. Have you had a report on a missing child, a girl of about eight, in the last two or three days?"

"Sorry, Jim - no. In the last week, several teenagers and a woman who could well be escaping an abusive husband, but no eight-year-olds."

"Damn!" he muttered. "Any kids that young going back a few weeks, maybe two or three months?" A pedophile might hold a victim that long...

"No."

"Okay. Thanks, Jenna."

So - no name for the victim.

But how could an eight-year-old not be missed by her parents?

Jim glanced up as Blair entered the bullpen.

"You're early," he said.

"My eleven o'clock student didn't show. Nobody had seen her for two or three days, and when we tried phoning her house, there was no reply. I suppose there's a reason, but I can't think what it could be. Anyway - " with a searching look at his friend - "what's bothering you?"

"A murdered child that hasn't been reported missing."

"Have you tried the schools? An absent child... "

"I knew we had a good reason to keep you around!"

***

The fourth school they tried provided a name - eight-year-old Donna Calman had been absent for four days... and the parents hadn't contacted the school to let the teacher know why.

"Calman?" Blair said. "That's the name of my no-show student."

"Coincidence?" Jim said.

"Maybe," Blair replied.

***

Jim, with Blair in tow, went to the address.

There was no answer to their knock. Jim tried the door; it opened, and he went in cautiously, Blair at his heels.

Inside, Jim stiffened, his nose wrinkling. "Blood," he said softly. He opened a door... to a scene of horror.

There were two bodies in the room; a man and a woman. The man had been shot; the woman, badly beaten. She was moving weakly. A gun lay just out of her reach.

Blair moved forward and knelt beside her. "Yvonne?"

She blinked pain-filled eyes at him. "Mr... San... bur... "

To his side, Blair was aware of Jim pulling out his cell phone.

"What happened?"

"Discovered H'ram's been 'busing Donna... He... hit... me... wh'n I... ask'd 'im why... 'n 'e took 'er 'way... C'me back 'lone. 'd gun - shot 'm. Find 'er?"

Instinct told him she wouldn't live to see the EMTs arrive. No point in letting her know... "We'll look for her," he said.

"Th'nks." Her head dropped. Blair looked at her for a moment, then looked at Jim.

"She's dead," Jim said quietly.

Blair rose and moved into a comforting hug. "It's a pity that she didn't just take Donna away to make a new life for the two of them away from the father who abused his daughter," he said. "What makes some men pedophiles who rape their own kids?"

But all Jim could do was shake his head.

 

 


End file.
